April 2007 Muscle Building & Fitness Tips

Each month Mark Smith (aka Suarus) puts together a list muscle building and fitness tips to help you pack on more muscle, strip fat and make the most of your time in the gym. Most of the tips you see here have been contributed by our forum members. April's tips are listed below:

April Training & Workout Tips

1. When doing Dumbbell Side Raises, the hands must never end up higher than the elbows, as this puts more work onto the front delts. When the arms come out to the side, twist your arm downwards, as if pouring water out of a jug. This will keep your elbows above your hands.
   Tip by: Doug Lawrenson
2. A good mental technique to achieve that heavy squat goal is to hold a heavier weight on you shoulders for about 30 seconds before the squat. For example, if you would like to squat that elusive 150kg, stand with 180 kg on your shoulders for about 30 seconds as if you are about to start the squat – but just stand there. After 30 seconds, strip off the excess 30 kg, and your 150 kg will feel light.
   Tip by: Mark Smith (Saurus)
3. To get the best out of your biceps curls, squeeze as hard as you can at the top of every rep for a count of 1½ seconds.
   Tip by: Mark Smith (Saurus)
4. Struggling to reach your goals? First think about a big goal that you would really like to achieve. Say, for example, 50 lb increase on your bench. Then make mini-goals in 10 lb increments. When you lift think of nothing but the big goal, the mini-goals will come easily.
   Tip by: Red Reaper
5. It is beneficial, while squatting, to hold your breath just before you get to the bottom, during the direction change and as you start to come back up, as you will have far greater core stability than if you breathe during that phase. This will result in greater power out of the bottom, allowing you to use more weight safely. Be sure that you do not hold your breath too long! This period of breath-holding shouldn't last more than a few seconds, or blood pressure can increase dangerously.
   Tip by: Doug Lawrenson

April Fitness & Weight Loss Tips

1. Never skip breakfast to cut calories!
   Tip by: Forum Member
2. Don't fall for any product or piece of equipment that claims to burn fat off a particular part of the body - for example, the buttocks, hips or stomach. It won’t work! Achieving a major change in your appearance requires sensible eating and regular exercise that works the whole body.
   Tip by: Forum Member
3. Don’t compare yourself to others. Everybody is different and will lose weight differently. Even if you do the exact same things as somebody else, you won’t lose weight at the same rate. The key is in finding your triggers. Keep your goal in sight, and do whatever you have to do to meet that goal. When you start looking at someone else’s habits, you’re only going to become discouraged and quit without even realizing that it’s physically impossible to be anybody but yourself.
   Tip by: Forum Member

April Supplements Tips

1. When mixing protein shakes, put the milk/water in the blender/shaker before the powder. This will prevent the powder from sticking to the container.
   Tip by: Stovebolt
2. Supplements only help after a perfect diet, and training routine, if them two are lacking then forget taking supplements.......they just won’t work.
   Tip by: Doug Lawrenson
3. For a beginner, the only good supplements are a good training routine, a good nutrition plan, plenty of good protein, carbs and essential fats, a whey protein supplement, a carb powder supplement if you cant get enough carbs in the day, creatine, and a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.
   Tip by: Doug Lawrenson

April Diet & Nutrition Tips

1. When to eat:
   - Have breakfast as soon as possible after waking up.
   - Have a meal every three hours (even if it’s smaller.)
   - Have a pre-workout snack 1-2 hours before your workout (not closer.)
   - Have a post-workout snack within an hour of your workout (the sooner, the better.)
   
   Tip by: Forum Member
2. If you're not gaining weight, eat twice the amount of carbs and 1.5 times as much protein at two of your meals per day.
   Tip by: Doug Lawrenson
3. If you're gaining weight, but it’s as much fat as it is muscle, eliminate carbs at your last two meals of the day (excluding your post workout meal.)
   Tip by: Doug Lawrenson

April Women's Fitness Tips

1. While stretching, you should feel a light resistance in your muscles, not tingling, shaking or burning. If your breathing becomes quick or you find yourself holding your breath, you are working too hard - ease off and start again.
   Tip by: Forum Member
2. Low-fat isn’t always better. More than half of all women who reduce their fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories become deficient in vitamins A and E, calcium, folic acid, iron and zinc. It is better to follow a diet that is varied and balanced, high in essential nutrients.
   Tip by: Mark Smith (Saurus)
3. Exercising women who take contraceptives should be especially careful to get enough calcium in their diets. Women under 30 who take birth control pills and exercise regularly are at a greater risk of bone fractures later on than someone who doesn't exercise. This can be overcome by ensuring sufficient calcium uptake either in the diet or through supplementation.
   Tip by: Forum Member
4. Weight training plays an important role in losing fat. Aerobic exercise burns calories, but the body’s metabolism quickly returns to pre-exercise levels, usually within 30 minutes or so. Resistance training leads to increased calorie burning for up to two hours after the workout is over. Unfortunately, because weight training often results in a corresponding increase in weight due to increased muscle mass, many women abandon their strength-training efforts, opting instead for strictly cardiovascular activities. However, combining aerobic exercise with regular strength training gives maximum results.
   Tip by: Forum Member

These tips are put together every month by Mark Smith (aka Saurus). If you want to chat to Mark you can catch him over at our muscle building forum. Come an join the webs fastest growing community of muscle building and fitness enthusiasts!

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